1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic percussion pad and a method of manufacturing an electronic percussion pad.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-170461, filed on Aug. 20, 2013, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
As an electronic percussion pad, a drum pad used as an electronic percussion, which detects a strike on a striking surface with a sensor and generates an electronic sound close to a sound of a natural percussion instrument, is known. As such a drum pad, one in which an elastic fiber sheet is laminated on a front surface of a pad main body formed of an elastomer to obtain a desired striking feel and reduce a striking sound is known (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application. First Publication No. 2010-262167).
In such a drum pad, a pad main body having a front surface on which a fiber sheet is bonded is obtained with a method including: disposing a fiber sheet in molding dies; supplying an elastomer composition (pad main body-forming material) to the molding dies; and curing the elastomer composition.
However, the elastomer composition which is the pad main body-forming material is cured in a state of being impregnated into the fiber sheet in a surface layer portion of the pad main body. Therefore, the elasticity of the fiber sheet is hindered by an elastomer present in the fiber sheet, and the surface layer of the drum pad may be hardened. In addition, the fiber sheet disposed in the molding dies is compressed in a thickness direction thereof by a molding pressure during the molding of the pad main body, and thus the thickness thereof is reduced. As a result, the surface layer of the drum pad may be hardened.
In this way, when the surface layer of the drum pad is hardened, a desired striking feel cannot be obtained, and a striking sound increases.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2010-262167 discloses that a foaming silicone composition is used as the pad main body-forming material. However, when the pad main body is formed of the foaming silicone composition, the foaming silicone composition foams in a portion where the fiber sheet is not present, but the foaming silicone composition impregnated into the fiber sheet does not foam sufficiently. As a result, the surface layer of the drum pad is hardened.